The Washington critic., 1887-05-10
PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS.

PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS.
The rejoinder of "a. +. B.. to the
comments of THE CRITIC upon his
first communication relative to the reg.
ulation Of aprrenticeships by the Typo.
graphical Union will be found else.
where in to'day's paper. 1t merits re-
ply in one particular only. Nothing
is to be gained by contention with au
adversary who believes more In the
infallibility Of an executive committee
than in the supremacy Of justice and
common sense.
At the same time We thank our cor.
respondent for furnishing the inrorma-
tion that we desired, and he is doubt.
less correct in It, Tic having stated
that II was only in "scasons of adver-
siiy" that publishers had anything to
say TO the competing room, and then
only to make demand for reduction,
we were anxious 10 know II such were
the case. 1t seems that it is so to this
eNtent-.hat in 1879 the National Re.
publican, and again 10 1850 the EeGHjHg
.Stor, asked Tor reductions in the rates
of composition, the request in both in.
stances being granted. The reduction
in 1850 was from forty five to forty
cents, and this schedule remained in
tact until the spring of 1886. When, 1t
will be remembered, the Union per-
emptorily ordered an increase of TWEEN.
tyfve per cent, or from forty to fifty
cents, which on arbitration was de-
cided against the printers.
1t will thus be seen that for pub.
fishers to ask reductions of their en-.
ployes is! so rare an exception to the
general rule, that 1t has only occurred
twice In the last ten years, and then
only in obedience to the natural de.
clension Of prices from the war tariff
of previous years to their normal and
equitable basis. Yet several season,
of adversely" have in the mean time
occurred and the only demand "
made has been by the Union for re-
turn TO prices higher than those of 1880.
But let us not digress too widely from
the apprenticeship question. 1t is
proper, of course, that a reasonable
limit should be placed to the number of
apprentices In an office. AS to this
point there can be no dispute; but we
cannot quite perceive the equity of ex.
cludlng newspaper proprietor from
all voice in the selection or regulation
of this number, or by what authority
the Union assumes TO instruct either the
proprietor or the foreman in the man
ner Of their employment, SO as TO create
the greatest possible confusion and in.
convenience. But the Union not only
fixes the number; 1t assumes the right
TO designate who these apprentices
shall be, rs was illustrated in the expe-
rieuce Of S. II. KaulfmNnu, one of the
proIrletors Of the ErcHiag .Star.
Mr.. Kaufman desired to have his son
take three years course, as 1t were,
in printing office as preliminary to
his higher education and with the view
of gaining that much practical insight
into business with which In due course
of time he was more or less likely to b.
identified. What was the result! Mr.,
kauiTmann's application 10 place his
own son at case in his own Office was
refused by the Union. lie was as much
ignored in the matter as though he
hadn'ta dollars worth OF interest iu
the property. And this, too, our cor.
respondent will bear in mind, where
there was no danger of the young man )
being dumped upon the community as
an idle printer" at the end of his three
years apprenticeship
This incident alone is worth q dozen
labored arguments, If any argument
were necessary, TO show the overbearing
ugl!ness of temper and utter want Of
business sympathy, which too often
characterize the dealings of the EXGcu.
tive Committee of the Union with the
Associated Publishers of this city.
Our correspondent substantially ad-
mits, where he does not evlde, the
points that we stated. Even in regard
TO discharges he acknowledges that
they are to be conditioned upon the
Unions consent. 1t is unnecessary to
prolorg the subject further.
THE Conference Committee, organ
lied at Richmond, to agree upon some
plan for the settlement Of the Virginia
State Cett, satisfactory alike u the
people and the b)naholGer5, has failed
Of It's purpose. The Legislative Com.
mlttee presented as an ullmatum thai
the principal of the deb. should b.
fixed at S25, 900, coo, the neR bonds tc
Iun fifty years at 8 per cent. The rep,
resentatives of the honlholIers decide
by various computations that the prin
cipal sum OF the debt should be fixed a
$20,sSG000, also r'q lirIng an alli
tioual sum of 100000 for arrearageI
of interest in cash. This proposition
was somewhat modified, but still lef
an insuperable difference between tn,
two. 1t will be generally conceded II
this country that the committee Of thr
Legislature made fair offer of com
promise, and agreed H., moreover, tina
under the circumstances the Engllsl
creditors were too oXacllng, but tha re
suit will be none the less unroftunst
for Yirginia.
An afternoon dispatch holds out tn
hope that satisfactory arrangemen
may get be made.
AccoRDING to experts, the heavy
stone ceiling Of the Assembly Chamba
at Albany is liable to give way ant
nrecipitate a deatl.roll of the IIous,